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Families Inc. recovers from flood
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · November 20, 2014
Four months, two insurance agencies, a church, countless off-hours by staff and — most of all — two outstanding volunteers later, Families Inc. recovered from the June 30 flooding to a point better off now than before.
The families services office that occupied a former medical building had been working around cabinets and counters and artwork strategically placed to cover up holes in the wall which equipment once occupied. When two storms passed through the city and water creeped into their building, flooring, walls, furniture and more soaked it up and much had to be torn out and thrown away.
Yet after word got out that the agency needed donations and help to recover, people and businesses responded, leaving the offices more functional and desirable than pre-flood, Families Inc. Executive Director Mary Kay Townsend said.
“Basically, it’s like new in here,” she said.
The staff had to get its work done during the day, even though the office was in shambles, Townsend said, which took its toll on morale. Not only was there a mess from the flooding, but a new mess created by tearing out and throwing things away in preparation for repairs and replacements.
“We were working in filth and dust and grime and smell,” she said. “But they came in with smiles and that cheered us up. … That kept our spirits up.”
“They” refers to Lynn and Shirley Patrick, a retired couple of “very handy” people, Townsend said. Lynn is a former pastor who also has construction skills.
Families Inc. was so happy with the Patricks’ volunteer help that they hosted a gathering to honor them in late October and planted a tree in front of the office in their honor.
Townsend filled a typewritten page listing all the things the Patricks did to help get Families Inc. back and better.
Lynn removed old electrical medical equipment and fixtures; transported a dozen heavy doors to Re-Store; dug out “old X-ray stuff out of cement” and replaced the cement; bought old ceiling tile at auction and replaced old ones; replaced light covers, air register covers, light switches and outlet covers; installed several counters, cupboards, shelves and fixtures; renovated the restroom; brought in sand bags when storms threatened possible additional flooding; and much, much more.
Shirley helped prepare walls for texturing; trimmed all the walls with base paint; painted much of the interior; sanded, coated and painted cupboards; scraped drywall from floors; twice vacuumed and mopped the entire building; washed every window inside and out; cut carpeting under each file cabinet; filled holes in new door and window trim; touched up all paint after carpeting and moving furniture, and on and on.
The two also worked together moving furniture and file cabinets, ran errands into Iowa City for more materials, and found two friends to texture the entire building’s interior.
Townsend said the Patricks spent eight hours a day and sometimes more. On occasion, she had to send them home when it was time to lock up.
“We really are in better shape,” Townsend said. “It’s hard to think of what it was like from July to November. It is nicer, for sure.”
The walls needed to be torn out at least four feet up, Townsend said, or the paneling needed to come out.
For a month, Families Inc. staff could not use the restroom, so they went next door to Bethany Lutheran Church. For two months, they used rooms at Bethany to meet with clients; for three months, they used Bethany’s storage space for files.
“Bethany Lutheran Church and Lynn and Shirley Patrick made a big difference in our recovery,” Townsend said.
Building insurance and flood insurance helped cover much of the cost for repairs, but not all. After the storms, companies equipped to clean damaged buildings became so busy that Families Inc. had to hire a company out of Chicago, and traveling that far cost more than the insurance company was willing to pay. The agency had to host a couple of fundraisers to cover the difference.
“It turned out pretty good,” Townsend said. “It doesn’t look like a medical company anymore. And that art on the walls to hide holes? We got rid of that.”
Keller Furniture in Tipton donated a couch, two chairs and three tables; Townsend noted that they were used, “but nice.”
Volunteers and workers turned a former resource room into a play therapy room; the restroom has a new vanity and a widened door to make it handicapped-accessible; the kitchenette is “brighter” and the cabinetry has been redone; excess wiring came out of the therapy room; the mail room has additional counters to make it more functional; and, of course, all new carpeting fills the building.
“In July and August, I thought ‘Can I stay here? With the smell and dust?’” she said. “I come into work now and just smile.”
Occasional visitors, like the UPS delivery driver, walk in now and say “Wow,” she said.
“They’re really shocked to see that is has become so nice,” she said.
Families Inc. still wants to replace the siding on the exterior. It was bulging a bit before the storms, and worsened after.
And Townsend said Families Inc. is still trying to figure out what they will do to prevent flooding in the future, like a barrier in the driveway.
“The flood came on so fast,” she said. “We couldn’t get sandbags up fast enough. … It would be devastating if it happened again.”
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